FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 
FROZEN FISH. 
Freezing conserves fish in times of abundance and cheapness for 
use in times of scarcity. As a rule fish are now frozen under excel- 
lent conditions, usually within a short time after they are caught. 
If perfectly fresh when frozen, if properly stored, handled, and pre- 
ared for the table, they are often superior in quality, texture, and 
Ehalode to fresh fish shipped long distances packed in ice. Some of 
the important species frozen are whiting, halibut, cod, hake, haddock, 
pollock, cisecoes, salmon, mackerel, sablefish, squeteague, smelts, 
whitefish, lake trout, butterfish, croakers, shad, and yellow pike. 
As an aid to increasing the consumption of frozen fish and removing 
certain prejudices, the Bureau has issued a poster and leaflet recom- 
mending this commodity. The leaflet stresses the importance of 
keeping frozen fish at a low temperature until used for food and of 
never thawing and refreezing or subjecting them to rises in tempera- 
ture or bruising, and emphasizes the necessity of buying them frozen 
and placing them in an ice box or cool place for thawing before 
cooking. For statistics of the holdings of frozen fish by species and 
by months in 1920, see page 52. 
TECHNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS. 
The small appropriation granted for the fiscal year beginning July 
1, 1920, has made it impossible to conduct regular investigations in 
this field, limiting the work mainly to a review of literature of 
methods which will be helpful in future investigations and to certain 
minor activities which could be done at little expense. Appreciating 
the importance of the technological investigations in progress at the 
experimental plant at San Pedro to the fisheries of the Pacific coast, 
the California Fish and Game Commission has taken over the labora- 
tory and is operating it for the current fiscal year. 
SALTING RIVER HERRING. 
The technological investigations of the basic principles governing 
the salting of fish which have been described in previous reports have 
revealed the possibilities of effecting certain refinements and improve- 
ments in common practice, of salting fish at higher temperatures and 
therefore in warm climates and of producing a product superior to 
much of that now marketed. In order to give practical application 
_ to the results, arrangements were made to initiate the salting of fish 
at points in Florida where previous attempts by usual methods had 
failed. A practical salter of long experience was employed, given 
instructions and opportunity to try out these improvements in the 
Bureau’s Fishery Products Laboratory, and detailed to Welaka, Fla., 
for Eas local fishermen desirous of giving such methods a 
trial. 
At Welaka the run of river herring lasts from about January 1 to 
March 15. During the early part of the season the catch is marketed 
without difficulty, but later when the fish appear at more northern 
points the demand diminishes and the price falls to a point at which 
it is unprofitable to continue fishing. The possibility of salting the 
fish taken at this period was welcomed by the local fishermen. 
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